Having an exit interview process within a school is a good practice that allows the school to collect information about school culture and health. The administrative team and school leadership group need to use the information from these interviews to improve school culture through responsive management.
Exit interviews are seen by existing employees as a sign of an open and positive community and culture. They are perceived as caring and compassionate - a sign that the school is big enough to expose itself to criticism. They provide an opportunity to 'make peace' with disgruntled community members who might otherwise leave with negative feelings and disparaging ‘word of mouth’ reflections about the school.
Exit interviews strengthen the head’s and curriculum leaders’ understanding and experience of managing staff and the school. Hearing and handling feedback is a powerful professional development process. They are positive and necessary for quality and effective people-management by most professional institutes and accrediting bodies concerned with quality management of people, organizations and service.
The feedback and analysis of exit interviews provide pertinent and useful data which can be used to inform staff development needs and training planning processes. Exit interviews also provide valuable information regarding recruitment and the improved inculcation and induction of new community members.
Furthermore, exit interviews provide direct information and data about how to improve staff retention. Many times the organization is not happy to see people leave no matter the'post-rationalization and sour grapes' reactions of some managers to the departure of good people –if you will - the ‘ it is what it is’ attitude. The exit interview can offer an excellent source of comment and an opportunity for management to evaluate the all-important components of succession planning. Good people leave because they are denied opportunity to grow and advance. Wherever this is happening the school needs to know about it and respond proactively.
Every organization has at some point in its history several good people who want to leave because they are not given the opportunity to grow and develop, it can be sensible for school management to delegate responsibility to those who want it and are ready for it. Exit interviews are an excellent catalyst for identifying opportunities for improvement in this integral area of management development and succession.
So overall, exit interviews, and a properly organized, positive exit process greatly improve the chances of successfully obtaining and transferring useful knowledge, contacts, insights, tips and experience, from the departing employee to all those needing to know it, especially successors and replacements. Most departing staff are happy to help if you have the respect and courtesy to ask and provide a suitable method for the knowledge transfer, be it a briefing meeting, a one-to-one meeting between the replacement and the leaver, or during an exit interview.
Sources: NAIS.org
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